A man accused of having sexually abused two minor girls at a school in the town of Badlapur near Mumbai died on Monday in an exchange of fire with the police, ANI reported.

The Thane Police alleged that the man, Akshay Shinde, snatched a police weapon and fired at security personnel, injuring a constable named Nilesh More.

Akshay Shinde was shot in retaliatory firing and taken to a hospital where he died, according to the police.

The incident occurred when he was being taken to Thane in connection with a separate case of sexual assault filed by his second wife in 2022, The Indian Express quoted an unidentified senior police officer as saying.

Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde said about the incident: “He [Akshay Shinde] was taken for investigation as his ex-wife has registered a case of sexual assault. He fired on a police personnel Nilesh More who got injured and has been admitted to hospital. Police in self-defence took that action. More information will come out after investigation.”

Shinde allegedly sexually abused the minor girls on August 12 at their school, where he worked as a janitor. Four days later, one of the children reported the incident to her parents who approached the police.

The case sparked protests in Badlapur, with the Opposition accusing the police of delay in filing a first information report. Shinde was arrested on August 17 and booked under provisions of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Last month, the Bombay High Court questioned the police’s handling of the case, asking why there had been a delay in recording the statements of the girls’ parents. The court also said that the police violated the law by asking one of the girls and her parents to come to the police station to record their statements.